Two Cool Concepts I read in Go Green, Live Rich
In my opinion, I think I found my #1 green resource book for this year. David Bach & Hillary Rosner.
“>Go Green, Live Rich is about 50 simple ways to save the earth. Although I am already familiar with many of the subjects they discussed such as driving an energy efficient car, changing my light bulbs and recycling I did find several new concepts that I hadn’t thought of and am looking forward to exploring this year.
Concept #1 - Green Investing
Investing green as a way to build your portfolio. Developing more of a conscience regarding where you invest your money is something I never really thought about. As I invested in my 401K, I innocently let everyone else decide where it was going to be invested. Now that I am older and wiser (haha) I want to change the world and one way to do that is to invest more responsibly, I want to reward and endorse companies that are producing sustainable products and services that are socially and environmentally responsible. How else are we going to make a change? These days change certainly isn’t coming quickly enough through our voting power.
A couple of places to begin your research is Morningstar.com. David Bach also has his own investment alerts at www.greengreen.com
Concept #2 - Take a Volunteer Vacation
In this current economy everyone is talking about taking “staycations.” In my opinion this is not a real vacation. A volunteer vacation is 
where you save money and have a terrific adventure by providing valuable manpower on a project that is helping the plant and all its inhabitants. Depending upon the type of project you choose, you can be a place with spectacular scenery with time to spare to enjoy it. In most cases by volunteering your food and lodging are included.
A couple of places to check out are the Sierra Club www.sierraclub.org and Habitat for Humanity ” www.habitat.org
As I stated before Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying
“>Go Green, Live Rich discusses 50 simple ways to save the earth. I highly recommend this book if for no other reason than to tap into all the internet resources that are available.
Going Green, Burning Fat and Drinking Organic, Fair Trade Coffee from Boresha®
Okay my loyal fans, I really want you to give this a fair sip. If I told you I found a coffee that is 100% certified organic, as well as fair trade certified, and helps you burn fat would you be interested in hearing about it? I’m banking on the fact that you are reading this blog because you want to make better buying decisions this year and you want to burn off excess fat.
We’ve all been continually reading and watching the news and know that coffee beans are the #2 internationally traded commodity but not all coffee is treated equal nor are the people who work hard to cultivate, produce and deliver it to our doorsteps.
Boresha International roasts coffee in Concord, CA. Did you know that the United States does not grow any coffee except in Puerto Rico and Hawaii? The coffee beans purchased by Boresha arrive from the Ethiopian, Ugandon and Tanzania regions. These beans are grown on farms that are environmentally sustainable and boast of the following certifications.
(OCIA) - Organic Crop Improvement Association which is the oldest, largest and most trusted leaders in the organic certification industry 100% shade grown organic.
USDA Organic - The United States benchmark for standard agricultural practices. Operations must be certified by a state or private entity that has been accredited by the USDA.
Fair Trade Certified - The coffee was grown responsibly, the farmers received a fair price and no child labor was used.
So now you feel good about the coffee you are drinking, you are supporting the local Concord, CA economy and did I mention you can also burn fat at a rapid rate drinking Boresha’s B-Skinny coffee?® 
Boresha Coffee and Skinny Science joined forces and together have developed a patented fat-burning thermogenic coffee. BSkinny Coffee® received the first and only low glycemic coffee patent ever awarded. This low glycemic patent is for hunger control, balanced energy, and combats stress-related eating. Did you know that drinking coffee causes fat storage in humans? So technically you are getting the buzz you crave but you are stimulating fat storage at the same time. One of the key components of BSkinny coffee® is that is contains “Buffered Caffeine” instead of regular caffeine.
I am personally looking forward to trying Boresha Bskinny coffee® for myself if for nothing else than to know I’m purchasing and consuming a responsibly grown coffee that is being roasted in Contra Costa County. If I burn some fat in the process I’m certainly not going to complain.
If you click here, you can order a free sample, just pay for the shipping.
3 Organics Gift Ideas for a Special Day
Here are three organic gift ideas to spring upon someone special just because you want to make someone happy and be green.
Organic Gift #1 - A “love” potion drink
Square One Vodka
Share a cocktail with your loved one make an organic love potion drink- I’ve heard a lot of great things about Square One Vodka which is organic and made here locally. Apparently there are these newlyweds Jay Esopenko and Melissa Gugni, owners of Drink Event Bartending in San Francisco, that have designed a killer organic drink using Square One Vodka!
Love Potion #12
2 oz. organic 100% pomegranate juice
1 1/2 oz. Square One organic vodka
1/2 blood orange squeezed
1/2 lime squeezed
1/4 to 1/2 oz. simple syrup (1/2 raw sugar–1/2 water dissolved)
Now you can make this yourself because Square One Vodka is sold at Beverages and More but I also know they serve Square One Vodka at Caps Bar and Grill in Brentwood, CA. I’m thinking it might be nice to be served………
Organic Gift #2 - Flowers
red-pink-anemone
Organic flowers are beautiful, thoughtful and rapidly gaining popularity. Roses are great but there are so many more flowers out there to choose. If you want beautiful red and pink flowers to show your love, you might want to look for a organic anemone bouquet. If you want a titillating scent you might purchase a bouquet of narcissus. It’s not too late to order a organic flower bouquet. A great place to order from is http://www.californiaorganicflowers.com
Organic Gift #3 - Chocolate of Course!
Fair Trade Organic Chocolate Hearts
Next to Halloween, Valentines Day is probably the biggest chocolate holiday on earth. Chocolate is a definitely a mood lifter and contrary to popular belief, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and when eaten in moderation it can help aid weight loss. Purchasing organic chocolate is good for the environment as well as your body since you aren’t knowingly ingesting pesticides.
At Kates Caring Gifts in Fremont, CA you can order a gift pack of 9 organic fair trade vegan chocolate cherry hearts and it won’t break your wallet at all. They are made in Northern California so you are also supporting our local economy. You can order online at http://www.katescaringgifts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GS_PACK_O_HEARTS_CHERRY
So I guess I met my goal. I found three great organic gifts, all within California. Now let’s see if my followers start following my lead.
Buy Sustainable Carpet Made from Recycled Bottles and Corn Sugar?
February 6, 2010 by Diana
Filed under Do It Yourself, Our Blog
Yep, you heard it right here. I am amazed by what kinds of buying choices we can make these days when it comes to
Carpet
From a sustainable standpoint:
• Every 7 yards of SmartStrand carpet produced saves one gallon of gasoline unlike a 100% petroleum based polyester carpet.
• Mohawk uses over 3 billion recycled plastic bottles to manufacture carpet (Mohawk EverStrand carpet)
• The “Triexta” fiber has been placed into their own subclass by the Federal Trade Commission so this fiber is NOT associated or categorized as a “polyester or nylon” carpet.
• The manufacturing process generates on average around 63% less greenhouse gases and 30% less energy that a nylon manufactured product
What is so special about the quality of Trixeta Smartstrand Sorona Carpet?
• Kid friendly
• Allergy Free
• Bleach resistant
• Soft texture
• Virtually no static
• Durable and wears well.
Overall, most of the reviews I’ve read on the internet have been positive. Consumers purchasing Triexta Smartstrand Sorona carpet are making a strong green statement that says we all can make better decisions about what companies we support and that we do have the choice to purchase quality products that make a difference. I encourage you to look in your neighborhood and find a flooring company that carries this carpet and make your own decision.
